ICRC chief holds talks with Syria's Assad September 4, 2012 - 12:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross met Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, Sept 4, an ICRC spokesman said, during a mission to push for better access for aid workers. Peter Maurer held 45 minutes of talks with the Syrian leader, spokesman Hicham Hassan said, without giving details of their discussions, according to Reuters. The ICRC had earlier said Maurer's trip would tackle the "rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation" in Syria, where Assad has been trying to crush a 17-month-old uprising against his rule, and the difficulties facing aid workers in the country. Partner news  Top stories Among its provisions are bans on child marriage and the traditional practice of selling and buying women to settle disputes. Jorge Rafael Videla, an austere former army commander, led Argentina during the bloodiest days of its Dirty War dictatorship. According to the United Nations, April was Iraq's bloodiest month for almost five years, with 712 people killed. Reports suggest the rebel fighters may have tried to blow up the walls of the prison, which holds some 4,000 inmates.   Partner news |  Latest news John Lennon’s guitar auctioned for $408,000  The custom-made instrument, built in 1966 by the VOX company, was bought by an unidentified U.S. buyer in New York.Benicio del Toro’s “Jimmy P” debuts in Cannes main competition The film is telling of the relationship between a troubled native American vet and his equally idiosyncratic therapist.Weinstein’s RADiUS nabs cult helmer’s "Blue Ruin" at Cannes The story centers on a man who finds his quiet life upended by unwelcome news and sets off for his childhood home to carry out an act of revenge.UN chief: conference Syrian settlement to take place “very soon” The conference would be a follow-up to last year’s international meeting in Geneva that drafted a peace roadmap for Syria. |
